Probably easier to do than autonomous car driving
Given that other aircraft do have transponders (unlike cars, trucks, pedestrians, animals, trees, etc.) and the sky is less crowded then most urban roads, I'd expect it would be much easier to create self-flying aircraft than self-driving cars or trucks.
Personally, I think it will be a while before they can really come up with safe self-driving cars. I'd expect to see practical autonomous aircraft sooner than autonomous cars.
Another poster asked could such a plane land on the Hudson Thames? Well, quite possibly yes. Any competent pilot has emergency landing locations in mind at all times, and I'd expect an autonomous aircraft to be programmed accordingly. The key difficulty I'd see there is avoiding other objects (especially small boats or flotsam) on the water or, in the case of a highway landing, vehicles on the roadway -- much the same problems facing autonomous road vehicles, and problems aircraft rarely face. But perhaps it can be done properly. Time will tell.
Biting the hand that feeds IT
